Understanding how the brain makes sense of sound is central to the work of Dr Saima Rajasingam, PhD, Senior Consultant Audiologist at The Well Being BY CUBEX. So is understanding the person sitting opposite her: their interests, their priorities and the experiences that have brought them to the clinic.
In our film, Saima reflects on what first drew her here, the warm relationships she has formed with patients, and why knowing someone well is essential to supporting them.
The science behind everyday listening
Saima’s PhD in Auditory Perception at Aston University explored how people with normal hearing process sound. Her wider research interests include how we separate competing sounds and understand speech in noise.
These questions have a familiar everyday context. Following one voice in a busy restaurant, or keeping up when several people are speaking, depends on how we make sense of the sound around us. Understanding where someone finds listening difficult helps connect the science with the support they need.
Saima brings extensive experience across the NHS and private practice to this work. A Fellow of the British Society of Audiology and Deputy Head of School at Anglia Ruskin University, she combines clinical practice with research and education. This November, she became President of the British Academy of Audiology.
A space that talked to her
After spending so much of her research time in a windowless soundproof booth, Saima remembers the feeling of first walking into our clinic.
“This doesn’t feel like a clinic … it just feels like a really comfortable and open space.”
As Adam and Jerusha showed her around, she recognised an approach she wanted to be part of. Their conversation centred on opening up possibilities and giving people access to more of life. The feeling of the space reflected that outlook.
It was somewhere she wanted to practise in.
The detail of people’s lives
Saima also talks about the care and attention that go into knowing our patients well. Understanding their interests and priorities allows close connections to develop, often over many years.
She remembers patients asking how the writing up of her PhD was going, then congratulating her when it was finished. They had taken an interest in something important in her life, just as she took an interest in theirs.
Those exchanges say a great deal about the experience of being here. Yes, this absolutely is a clinic, but it never feels impersonal. The attention to detail extends to the lives of the people who come through the door.
For Saima, that understanding has a practical purpose. Adjusting to hearing technology can be difficult, and technology may not resolve every challenge someone faces. Knowing the person helps us understand where further support is needed, and what meaningful improvement would look like in their life.
As she says in the film, “the most important part is actually improving people’s lives”.
Book an appointment with Dr Saima
We’re delighted that Saima is back at the clinic, with a limited number of appointments available during November and the holiday season.
Whether you already know her or would like to meet her for the first time, please contact our team to arrange a consultation.
